Cuban Sandwiches & Homemade Chips

All right....so yesterday was French bread day.  Those lovely baguettes had a purpose, though!  They were destined for Cuban sandwich greatness.  Have you ever had a Cuban before?  If not, PLEASE try one as soon as possible.  And these chips...well, these chips are to die for.  I'll talk about the chips first.  Potato chips are a weakness of mine.  When I eat them, I have to weigh them or count them out and then put the bag away, because I could keep going....and going....and going.  Like the Energizer bunny.  It isn't pretty.  Kettle Chips in particular pull me in, grip me, and don't let go.  This used to be a problem, but Devin Alexander fixed it for me.  Devin has fixed so many things for me, and I love her so.  She is a healthy chef, and her recipes are amazing.  She has written several books on her own in addition to penning the recipes for the Biggest Loser cookbook series.  These chips are featured in her book I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening.  Please, if you are looking for a healthier way of eating, buy her books.  They truly are life-changing, and none of her recipes tastes "low-fat."  These chips are now a staple in my house....they are every bit as good as anything you buy in a bag, but at 88 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving, I can have 2 servings if I really want.

First, scrub a 7-8 ounce potato and slice it as thinly as possible.  My lovely Shun chef's knife is so sharp.  I love it.



Next, put the slices in a bowl.  I like to put my bowl on my scale and zero it out before putting the slices in.  This helps me to be precise about dividing the chips.



Pour over 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and toss...I swear this is more than enough oil!  A lot of it will be left in the bowl.



Put half of the potato slices on a plate lined with parchment paper and lightly salt.  I like to salt on the plate and not in the bowl to make sure that my potatoes get an even salting.  Sometimes I will use a flavored seasoning, like Pampered Chef's smoky barbecue rub.....but most days I like to keep it simple.



Microwave for 6-7 minutes, or until crunchy and browned.   Be careful!  When they get close it's very easy to burn them.  Sometimes I take the ones that are already brown off and put the others back in for 30 seconds at a time.   Burned chips=bad!  Remove those chips from the plate and repeat with the second half.  Usually, the second batch takes less time, since the plate is already hot (that's another thing-use oven mitts to remove the plate from the microwave!).



Now, onto the Cuban sandwiches.....to start, you'll need some kind of bread.  I, of course, used my freshly baked baguette.....but you can use hoagie rolls or if you are lucky enough to have a grocery store that carries traditional Cuban bread, by all means, use that!  Bi-lo does sell Cuban bread in the bakery section now....but I had homemade baguettes!  Cut your bread to whatever size you want, and spread one side with mayo and one side with mustard.  I believe that yellow mustard is traditional, but I went with what I had....so spicy brown it is!



Lay a couple of slices of ham on first....



Then some shredded roast pork.  I used Pioneer Woman's spicy pulled pork shoulder.  I had it in the freezer from last week.



A slice of Swiss cheese and some pickles (these are spears that I sliced up, but chips work just as well)....



Wrap them in foil, put them on the griddle (or in a pan, whatever), put something on top, and PRESSSSSSSS.  I let these cook for 2 minutes, turned them over, pressed again, and cooked for another 2 minutes.



Remove your sandwiches from the griddle, unwrap them, and there you go.  I promise you, the finished product is not to be believed.  If you haven't had one, please try this soon!  (Sorry...my picture is distorted.  Photography is not really my thing.  Apparently neither is photo editing.  Put you get the point!)